What LLMs Know About Their Users

Simon Willison talks about ChatGPT’s new memory dossier feature. In his explanation, he illustrates how much the LLM—and the company—knows about its users. I... https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2025/06/what-llms-know-about-their-users.html

From property to governmental digital twin: the future cadastre in Switzerland https://www.byteseu.com/1136675/ #AEC #BIM #BuildingInformationModelling #cartography #construction #DataCollection #DigitalTwin #digitization #GIS #INFRASTRUCTURE #LandAdministration #LandRegistry #SpatialDataInfrastructure #surveying #Switzerland #UrbanPlanning

Airlines Secretly Selling Passenger Data to the Government

This is news:
A data broker owned by the country’s major airlines, including Delta, American Airlines, and United, col... https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2025/06/airlines-secretly-selling-passenger-data-to-the-government.html

If you're an American, you need to order your #LexisNexis #report. It's free. It's not a credit report (although there are some aspects of that to it). It's a dossier on you and your life, brought to you by the largest data broker in the #UnitedStates. #PleaseBoost #privacy #security #DataPrivacy #DataCollection #PersonalInformation

https://consumer.risk.lexisnexis.com/request

#Windows10 is coming to an end. I won’t use #Windows11 or other #Microsoft products anymore. I really like #Linux (especially #ArchLinux). I don’t want to be told how or when to use my own #computer. I won’t accept #datacollection, forced accounts, or #cloud-only services. In the future, I’ll play all my #games on Linux too.

F*CK MICROSOFT!

It's an astronomical amount of behavior #data that is being collected on you. Is the only option for payment that isn't tracked physical cash and #monero https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iX3JT6q3AxA

https://www.europesays.com/2022133/ Tinycorder, a multitool device to sense environment #BadgeHack #DataCollection #display #Environment #EnvironmentalSensing #Wearables

Rozmohl se nám tady takový nešvar. Tvůrci SW velice často chtějí sbírat data

Public transport data should be accurate, accessible, and sustainable. Trufi delivers. We create GTFS feeds in cities where none exist, ensuring transport networks are recognized and usable worldwide.

https://tinyurl.com/26m42fut

My post from yesterday (https://mastodon.bsd.cafe/@stefano/113962852422322623) generated some very interesting comments. It seems that this behavior is confirmed and not just on Samsung devices, but also on devices from other manufacturers.
I knew that many Chinese manufacturers, in order to keep prices low, made deals with third-party companies to pre-install apps and games, but I didn’t think this would happen on high-end, expensive phones, and not only installing apps but also underlying services.

In my opinion, this behavior is unacceptable, and no, having to accept a document hundreds of pages long (otherwise it becomes impossible to use the device you bought and paid for) is not an excuse.

And it's not because the services are from Meta - they could be from anyone. I don't want third-party services installed on a device I buy, period. I can accept (though, I’m saying it lightly - personally, I don’t want any useless background services) manufacturer services, for the purpose of making the device (more) usable, but I certainly don't want shady processes that collect (and, I assume, send) personal data to other companies.

I’m more and more glad I installed #GrapheneOS on my Pixel.

Anyone know why and how SO MANY CHARACTERS can be in a URL? In general I may think the URL has trackers or some sort of data collection added to it if there is a download, but this is pretty darn heft. I have not even opened this file to read it as the PDF file. Ideas? #WebDeveloper #Software #Tracking #DataCollection #Substack

Google Is Allowing Device Fingerprinting

Lukasz Olejnik writes about device fingerprinting, and why Google’s policy change to allow it in 2025 is a majo... https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2025/01/google-is-allowing-device-fingerprinting.html

The Trump transition team wants the incoming administration to drop a car-crash reporting requirement opposed by Elon Musk’s Tesla, according to a document seen by Reuters, a move that could cripple the government’s ability to investigate and regulate the safety of vehicles with automated-driving systems.

Musk, the world's richest person, spent more than a quarter of a billion dollars helping Trump get elected president in November. Removing the crash-disclosure provision would particularly benefit Tesla, which has reported most of the crashes – more than 1,500 – to federal safety regulators under the program. Tesla has been targeted in National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) investigations, including three stemming from the data.

The recommendation to kill the crash-reporting rule came from a transition team tasked with producing a 100-day strategy for automotive policy. The group called the measure a mandate for "excessive" data collection, the document seen by Reuters shows.

#MurderIsLegalIfYoureRich

https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/trump-transition-recommends-scrapping-car-crash-reporting-requirement-opposed-by-2024-12-13/

Did you know that #Apple #macOS by default stores your local Spotlight searches and uses them to improve their service?

This option is NOT accessible from the obvious location of "Privacy & Security" but instead from "Spotlight". #privacy #telemetry #datacollection

EDIT: Apparently this option applies to all Apple devices, including iPhones, iPads and the like. I would suggest turning this off on all of them.

What is Trade-Free?

https://www.trade-free.org

Trade-Free is an idea that shares a lot in common with #FOSS, or Purely Free.

The diffs btw FOSS and Trade-Free is: Trade-Free can't include Ads, trackers, consumerism, etc. etc…

If some FOSS application got #datacollection, or you have to see #Ads, or you have to pay for #access, or there are #trackers, etc. Even if it's FOSS, it's not Trade-Free anymore.

So when the app definitely wants something from you, it's not #TradeFree anymore.

Hack On Self: The Alt-Tab Annihilator - Last time, I told you about a simple script I made to collect data about my laptop... - https://hackaday.com/2024/10/07/hack-on-self-the-alt-tab-annihilator/ #attentiontracking #hackadaycolumns #datacollection #senseoftime #lifehacks #mischacks

Hack On Self: Collecting Data - A month ago, I’ve talked about using computers to hack on our day-to-day existence... - https://hackaday.com/2024/09/16/hack-on-self-collecting-data/ #attentiontracking #datacollection #originalart #senseoftime #mischacks #featured #interest

I have been using @librewolf on my desktop for a long time and not a Chrome browser or those based on it. Now don't tell me you have nothing to hide and wonder why you've been cheated on before.

«Google has to face a class action lawsuit over Chrome’s data collection:
A lawsuit claiming Google’s Chrome sync collected user information without consent has been revived.»

https://www.theverge.com/2024/8/20/24224686/google-class-action-lawsuit-chrome-sync-data-collection

how many hashtags can you add before it feels gauche?

So, who's footing the bill for privacy protection now?

Also, why are we as a country allowing data collection like this to still FUCKING HAPPEN?!

Massive data leak may include the personal data of everyone in US, UK, and Canada

https://9to5mac.com/2024/08/13/massive-data-leak-national-public-data/